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General Mills has filed a patent for a technique that adds calcium and fiber to ready-to-eat cereals. The calcium and fiber would be made into pellets that would be added to cereal to deliver "crisp, uniform texture and cell structure; improved, prolonged bowl life; a non-gritty mouth feel; and a smooth, uniform surface appearance," according to the application.

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California-based natural food retailer Mother's Market & Kitchen has been acquired by Mill Road Capital, a private investment firm, Mother's Market said. The seven-store chain hopes to use the investment to open new stores, the company said.

General Mills' return of French Toast Crunch to its cereal lineup is just one example of how food makers are appealing to consumers' childhood memories to sell their products. Marketers like to make connections by telling stories, according to Nick Fereday, executive director and senior analyst of food and consumer trends for Rabobank International. "[Nostalgia is] one of those standard things that companies like to play with every now and again to lure customers back to their products," Fereday says.

General Mills is counting on cereal for growth despite a Nielsen measure showing a 3.5% drop in cereal sales over a 12-month period. The company's strategy includes capitalizing on food trends such as fiber, protein and gluten-free, tapping into adult nostalgia for cereals such as Lucky Charms and spending more than one-fifth of its U.S. media budget on digital advertising in fiscal 2015.

Roundy's Supermarkets has introduced three limited-edition cereal-box designs celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Green Bay Packers. Roundy's CEO and Chairman Robert Mariano said the boxes "allow us to show our Packers pride during the team's 90th football season, in addition to giving our customers a chance to taste our Roundy's-brand cereals and add to their Packers collectibles."

Companies including Kraft Foods, General Mills and Kellogg Co. are making the case through advertising that high-fiber foods can taste good. Ads for Fiber One Frosted Shredded Wheat from General Mills, for example, feature a man saying the cereal "tastes way too good to have fiber."